Giving

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 6:21)

Online Giving

Online giving is a safe and easy way to invest in all God is doing at the GraceLife to create a movement of disciple-making disciples in the NRV and around the world.

Automate Your Giving

Setting up a recurring gift is a great way to consistently put God first in your finances. Recurring giving is easy and takes just minutes to set up. Simply choose your schedule and amount to automate your giving today.

Best Ways to Give Electronically

Below is the list of fees that our payment processing company charges GraceLife for the various methods of payments. Please take these into consideration as you choose your method of giving as well as the amount of the gift.

Text to Give

You can give anytime from anywhere with a single text. Simply text the amount you’d like to give to our “text-to-give” number (e.g. $50) – (540) 554-6363. If you have donated by text before, you’ll receive a text in response confirming that your gift has been received successfully and you are done. If it’s the first time your donating by text, you will be sent a message that says, “It looks like you are a new giver; to begin.” Follow the prompts to set up your account.

Other Ways to Give

You can always give by check (made payable to GLBC) or cash. We have a time of giving during each weekend gathering, or you can mail your gift to:

GraceLife Baptist Church
Attn: Finance
P.O. Box 701
Christiansburg, VA 24068

If you choose to give cash, please consider placing it in an envelope with your name and mailing address so we can properly account for it and ensure you are eligible to deduct it on your taxes.

You may designate GraceLife Baptist Church to receive all or a portion of your estate after your lifetime. This type of giving may be accomplished through:

  • Will or Trust: You can name GraceLife Baptist Church in your will or revocable living trust as a beneficiary, and your estate will receive an income tax deduction for the value of your bequest.
  • Retirement Accounts: You can name GraceLife Baptist Church as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or other qualified retirement plans. Any amounts remaining in your plan, free of income and estate tax, will transfer to GraceLife. Consult with your financial and/or tax advisor to analyze your particular situation and confirm tax benefits.
  • Life Insurance: You can simply name GraceLife Baptist Church as beneficiary of part or all of your life insurance policy. You can also choose to make the Summit the owner of a life insurance policy that is no longer needed. When GraceLife is made owner, you may receive a tax deduction for the amount of premiums you continue paying each year. If the policy is whole life, you may receive an immediate tax deduction for the cash value amount. Consult with your financial and/or tax advisor to analyze your particular situation and confirm tax benefits.

If you are interested in any of these ways to give, please contact our Financial Coordinator, Amy Yelton, at finance@gracelifefamily.org or (540) 392-2160.

Giving appreciated stocks and mutual funds is a great way to maximize your giving because you receive an immediate income tax deduction for the full fair market value of securities you transfer that you’ve held for at least one year. In addition, you pay no capital gains tax on the difference between your cost and the fair market value. Consult with your financial and/or tax advisor to analyze your particular situation and confirm tax benefits.

How to Give

  • If you’d like to give a stock, mutual fund, or bond gift, please contact us.
  • If you would like to give a marketable security to the GraceLife, please contact us. You will be required to provide the following information:
    1. Where the shares are held
    2. Name(s) of contributor(s)
    3. Exact number of share(s) and ticker symbol(s)
    4. Mailing address for receipt purposes
  • If you are interested in giving restricted securities, stock options, or matching gifts from your employer, please contact us.

IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions

If you are over 70-1/2 years old, then you may distribute directly from your IRA to GraceLife Baptist Church up to $100,000 and exclude the contributed amount from your gross income for tax purposes. This amount can be counted towards the IRA’s annual required minimum distribution. Consult with your financial and/or tax advisor to analyze your particular situation and confirm tax benefits.

Here are a few articles that explain the process:

Many banks offer their customers the ability to setup a recurring bank draft from your account mailed directly to a recipient (such as GraceLife). If interested in this low-cost giving option, please contact your bank to set up a recurring gift to GraceLife Baptist Church as a new payee.

GraceLife Baptist Church
Attn: Finance
P.O. Box 701
Christiansburg, VA 24068

If you’d like to discuss a possible gift of real estate, a trust or retirement account, credit card rewards points or airline miles, or another unique gift, please contact our Financial Coordinator, Amy Yelton, at finance@gracelifefamily.org or (540) 392-2160.

Financial Accountability 

GraceLife Baptist Church is accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, which requires high standards of biblical accountability, board governance, financial transparency, integrity in fundraising, and proper use of charity resources.

We desire for the financial integrity of GraceLife to remain above reproach. In these practices and in all that we do, we strive to honor God’s provision by pursuing wise and faithful stewardship, ethical business practices, and transparent accountability.

We desire for the financial integrity of GraceLife to remain above reproach. In these practices and in all that we do, we strive to honor God’s provision by pursuing wise and faithful stewardship, ethical business practices, and transparent accountability. To that end, we apply the following practices:

    • ECFA certified church. ECFA provides accreditation to leading Christian, nonprofit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with established standards for financial accountability, transparency, fundraising, and board governance.
    • Professional financial department. We employ qualified financial professionals to oversee our budget and financial practices.
    • Secure offering procedure. To ensure the highest level of accountability, those who count our offering always do so with at least two people present. We also require a different person than the “counter” to transport the funds and maintain a record of the weekly offering.
    • Pastoral compensation policy. To ensure that our pastoral compensation is fair and not based on a person’s “sense” of value, we consistently compare compensation with comparable churches of similar size. This is not the only item for consideration, but it gives us a helpful starting point and establishes external boundaries. When it comes to pastoral salaries, we remember that the aim of GraceLife is to prioritize the gospel above all, do whatever it takes to reach all people, make disciples (not just converts), and send every member. To that end, we want to ensure that everyone on staff is here because they believe in this mission, not as a way to get wealthy. At the same time, we also want to pay our employees in such a way that they know they are appreciated. In other words, we aim to compensate our pastoral staff generously, but not lavishly.
    • Robust budgeting process. Pastors and administrators work together to allocate resources in such a way that maximizes kingdom impact and aligns with our church’s vision. Annual budgets represent a collaboration between ministry leaders, administrators, and directional elders. And since GraceLife is a congregational church, our congregation also has an opportunity to ask questions about these budgets before they are presented for approval.
    • Transparency. We regularly publish financial updates highlighting what our budgeted resources have allowed God to do through GraceLife. This acts as a way of celebrating what God has done, while showing how our operating budget relates to our mission.
    • Open book policy. Our approved annual operating budget is available upon request. Members of GraceLife are always invited to contact the church with questions or to request an in-person meeting to review more detailed financial information.
    • Annual external audit. Every year we voluntarily undergo an organization-wide audit performed by an independent, certified public accounting firm. To date, we have met the high standards of scrutiny for these audits every year.

If you have further questions, please contact our senior pastor, Tim Hight, at thight@gracelifefamily.org.